After a long, particularly wet winter, the profusion of daffodils, hellebores, primroses and crocuses we are currently enjoying in our sodden gardens is a most welcome sight and hints that spring is not far off.

Spring is of course that time of year when nature bursts into life, but will it be the same with the housing market?

It may be still relatively early in the year but there are definitely green shoots appearing in the property sector after what has been a fairly dormant few months. We are already seeing increased buyer activity with a rising level of internet visits and direct registrations. This has led to plenty of viewing requests and sales being agreed for realistically priced homes in the best locations.

After a prolonged period when the supply of village and country houses for sale has been limited, we are now being invited to evaluate an increasing number of properties ahead of them going on the market this spring.

The improved sentiment we are seeing is making us quietly confident that 2024 will be a less volatile year with prices remaining stable. Our region will continue to be seen as an attractive destination for buyers drawn to its beautiful countryside, excellent schools and quality of life. With the prospect of an improved supply of homes being put up for sale over the coming weeks, we expect to see an upturn in activity levels and a return to steadier trading conditions.

If you are looking to make a move over the coming weeks, as a buyer you will need to gear yourself up to be in a position to proceed with a purchase once you have found the perfect home so as to be an attractive proposition to the vendor. As a seller, you will need to ready your house for the market by giving it a good spring clean, tidy up the garden and if necessary, declutter and freshen up tired paintwork.

Rural View would be happy to advise on the right steps to prepare your home prior to sale, just give us a call!

Writing these notes on a bitterly cold late February day, it may seem strange to suggest that spring is on its way but aside from nature’s barometer of snowdrops, daffodils and even primroses and crocuses which are out already, there is also a hint of green shoots in the housing market.

Over the last couple of years there has been an acute shortage of property for sale and particularly so since last summer despite continuing strong demand. At last there are signs that this situation is starting to be rectified and we are being invited out to an improving number of prospective sellers’ homes to provide market appraisals which has resulted in our being instructed to put more houses up for sale. We anticipate that this will become a self-perpetuating exercise as more buyers will be encouraged to search in earnest and in turn put their own properties on the market.

Despite it still be relatively early in the year, we are also seeing increased buyer activity with a rising level of internet visits and direct registrations. This has led to plenty of viewing requests and sales, particularly for realistically priced character homes situated in the best locations.There are therefore grounds for optimism for the property market in 2016 and with Wiltshire County Council finally beginning to tackle the unacceptably long delays in processing Local Authority Searches compared to its speedier neighbouring counties, progressing sales in Wiltshire should hopefully no longer be as slow as they have been.

What might temper this early promise? This can be summed up in one rather unattractive word; ‘Brexit’. Whatever one’s views are on whether the UK should stay in or leave the European Union, it is after all a topic that stirs divisive opinions, the volatility that is already being experienced in the currency and share markets may also spread to the property sector. If one is thinking of moving, there may be an argument for getting on with it sooner rather than later.

Should polls ahead of the referendum suggest a close result, the housing market could be affected by a case of the jitters. Putting aside issues such as sovereignty and border control, a result in favour of a withdrawal may in the short term have an adverse impact on confidence in the UK economy whilst a ‘stay-in’ outcome is more likely to see the property market settle down quickly or even push ahead.

Even if you are bored of the European question already, we in the property World are likely to have an interesting time of it in the months ahead!